Question 91067
One number is five more than the other number.  Their sum is 285.  What are they?
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This is a problem of 2 equations and 2 unknowns. Any time you have at least as many equations as you have unknowns, you can solve the problem. First, let's develop the equations:
Let x be one number and y be the other number. From the first sentence of the problem, I can write an equation:
Equation #1: {{{x=y+5}}}
From the second sentence in the problem, I can write another equation:
Equation #2: {{{x+y=285}}}
Now that you have 2 equations developed for the 2 unknowns, you can solve this!
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First, substitute the expression for x from Equation #1 into Equation #2:
{{{(y+5)+y=285}}}
Simplify the left side:
{{{2y+5=285}}}
Solve for y:
{{{2y=280}}}
{{{highlight(y=140)}}}
Now that you have a value for y, substitute that back into Equation #1 and solve for x. I will leave that part to you.
Good Luck,
tutor_paul@yahoo.com